5 Nights
by CsillaDream
Summary: Gray is dragged off to a frozen wasteland (or better known as a ski resort) by his mother; what happens on the first night that changes his opinion about the resort? And who is this strange teen he keeps meeting on the third floor? [a two-part fic]
1. Chapter 1

**Csilla: I recommend listening to the song '5 Days' by Patrick Nuo 'cause it was HIGHLY inspired by it :D**

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He met him on his first night at the Lamina Scale Resort, located in god-know-where surrounded by a thick cover of endless snow; the distressed teen had been dragged by his mother, who believed it was best for them to take a trip together - although that was the reasoning behind it: the family hadn't spent any time together!

Idly walking past all the strange girls cooing at him, a perfect stranger; Gray muttered something incoherent before slipping into the crowd then slipping back out to duck into the stairwell. It wouldn't be long before the 'fan-girls' tracked him down so the raven bolted up the stairs then softly opened the third floor door just as another door opened beneath him. Letting a sigh of relief as he shut the door quietly, he knew that he wouldn't be able to go back for a while so why not explore...?

The corridor he was in was softly-lit with small lamps attached to the wall; stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans while treading silently down the hallway. Gray turned a corner and froze in surprise: he was not alone! A few feet from him sat a moonlight-illuminated teen with a sketchpad lying haphazardly on his lap; his sudden appearance made the other turn his head in curiosity and then a short staring contest began.

As his eyes made out the other teen's features under the dim lighting, the more Gray couldn't look away...

Curious cobalt eyes looking out from underneath an orange hood...

The teen looked so goddamn adorable!

The thought 'pinch me...' crossed his mind as a sudden imbalance took over his body.

"He-" His words were deafened when a shrill-sounding voice gushed: "Gray-sama~!" before dragging him away from the moonlight-teen and back to being surrounded by squealing girls.

After a hour of avoiding swooning girls, the raven slipped away once more; learning to be quicker than before - he tiptoed his way back onto the third floor. Away from all the noise, Gray focused on his mission of finding the teen he had seen previously on his floor; he poked his head around the corner but there was no teen sitting by any of the window sills. Not ready to just give up, he proceeded down the corridor glancing around for any evidence of the other.

Nothing until he looked out of the veranda; outside standing against the rail was the teen from before and this time, Gray could make out him better: wild rosy hair that stuck out in all places and tan skin that seemed to radiate heat despite the cold weather. Without thinking, the raven walked onto the balcony greeting the stranger before anyone could cut him off: "We meet again,"

A mental kick for the lame greeting towards someone that he found cute; though cobalt eyes smiled over at his own onyx ones before he heard a chuckle, "So it seems,"

"So I can't help but wonder now that we've spoken if the rabid fan-girls are going to find me before I get a name," The light humor between them flowed naturally especially as his rosette companion replied back without missing a beat, "How about butthead?"

"What are we children?"

A soft laugh then, "Natsu Dragneel and you're Gray, am I right?"

"Well before the girls come and kidnap me," the two shared a laugh before the raven added, "Yeah, my name is Gray... Gray Fullbuster,"

"Shouldn't you be getting back before the _fan-girls_," the word stung Gray a little, " come and find you again,"

A small pout formed across pale features as the other's words sunk in, "They can't find me if we go onto another floor," he muttered, glancing to the side as feelings of self-consciousness fluttered about in his stomach.

A short tease of 'we, huh' slipped playfully out of Natsu's mouth before he pushed off the cold metal railing, beckoning for his companion to follow - Gray did just that. The rosette led him back down the hallway and around the corner; just after they passed the door leading to the stairwell - the raven heard it: a sickly-sweet voice, "Ah~ Gray-sama!"

The later froze in response as his eyes widened and Natsu slipped away out of sight; onyx eyes dared to glance back to see a blue-haired blushing teen behind him, who had a knack for sniffing him out - No! Literally!

Again, Gray said a silent goodbye to the third floor and wasn't able to escape the hellish party until it was over; while everyone was leaving the room, the raven slipped past the adults supervising the event and back into the stairwell. Letting out a sigh of relief of finally escaping, he wasted no more time in hurrying up the flight of stairs.

"Back again...?" A coy voice chuckled when he emerged on the third floor.

Waiting until his breathing calmed, he let out a breathless chuckle before commenting: "Well _excuse_ me for being so damn popular~"

"Popular, huh? Not exactly something you should be bragging about..." Natsu sneered, hinting towards a certain shrilled-sounding girl that Gray immediately paled at the thought: "Y-Yeah well, shaddup..."

The duo began their journey to get away from the staircase, heading in the opposite direction of the veranda and down a hallway lit with small wall lamps - the dimness of the lights made the raven's heart speed up, pounding hard in his chest.

"So where are we heading?" Gray asked as his eyes took in everything they passed by - paintings, doors, windows and pieces of furniture blanketed in the moonlight. The rosette remain silent long enough to unnerve his companion, who peeked over in curiosity right as Natsu replied, "You'll see,"

Stopping outside a large wooden door, the rosette swiped a card through before opening it enough so they both could walk inside; the inside was beautifully decorated and lit up nicely while the raven was taking in the surrounding, Natsu chuckled: "A lot better than that lame party downstairs, huh?"

"Yeah," wandering over the large bay windows, "Oh wow!" The scenery past the glass was breath-taking - Gray never thought that this frozen wasteland could actually be amazing in whole.

"I know right?"

"I guess this isn't your first time here then?"

"You could say that,"

The two exchanged soft smiles before their eyes were brought back to the scenery; Natsu climbed up on top of the window sill before offering a hand to his companion, who gladly took it. The snow blanketed large fields and even from the third floor, Gray could still make out the different parts of the ski resort.

"You're welcomed to come back here... but only at night..."

( - - - - )

**Csilla: Happy Birthday, Kris~ :3 Sorry I couldn't make you an amv - every time I tried ;A; SV made my mind go blank...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Csilla: Oh wow! Every single review *-* I loved them~**

**WARNING: LONG CHAPTER AHEAD :D**

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Restless Gray wandered the hallow corridors, letting his feet take him where ever they wanted to go - he hadn't been able to sleep once his mom came into their room. The woman snored like a bloody chainsaw! Shaking his head away from the memory, the raven soon found himself on the elevator; pressing a few random button, the door shut and the steel cage moved as Gray's thoughts traveled onto Natsu. They had parted ways a few hours ago while in that large room, thinking about the room made him feel like a child as excitement bubbled to the surface. The next time the elevator ding'd, the raven stepped off only to find himself - surprisingly - on the third floor. A small mental joke about fate being involved as he shook his head; Gray saw the infamous stairwell that he had gone up earlier three times in front of him meaning...

"The room is this way," Heading right down the previous toured corridor, the raven's mind traveled over to Natsu and questions that were suddenly occurring to him.

'_Why did Natsu say he could only visit the room at night?_'

'_Does that mean that Natsu can't be out in the daylight?_'

'_Wouldn't that make him a vampire then?_'

Standing outside of the room, Gray concluded one thing to be true: '_It must be the sleep talking_' before reaching to open the door but when it opened, he paused for a moment. Swallowing back the thoughts that Natsu would still be here well after midnight, the raven pushed open the door to reveal the room with the breath-taking view. He made a dash across the room, which ended up being more like sliding across the polished floor with his socks until he reached the large bay window. Wide onyx eyes took in the scenery again so focused on the beauty laid out before them that its owner flew in the air when a voice behind him chuckled: "Don't you ever go to bed...?" _Natsu..._

"Why would I do something like that?"

The rosette sat down next to him, wearing only a pair of fairly loose black sweatpants that hung down slightly on one side of his waist, before snickering: "Because maybe I was hoping something about you was normal,"

"I am normal!" Gray hissed at his companion before realizing what the other was wearing then quickly turning away while his brain was in overdrive filling with thoughts he shouldn't be having about someone he met only earlier today!

A snort, earning an irritated glare that quickly weakened again when Gray remembered why he wasn't looking at Natsu in the first place, before: "Sure you are... I mean, every guy I know can show up at a ski resort knowing no one and in a mere hour have every teenage girl's hormones in hyper drive,"

Silence then: "You're not hiding some secret pheromone that instantly attracts girls, are you?" Gray wanted to smack the other's head for asking such a weird question but instead he chimed in: "Yeah, how did you know... Mr. Vampire?"

"Do you _**see** _me sparkling?"

"No but-"

"Then I'm not a vampire," Silence fell between them but was short-lived as both teens broke out in laughter, leaning against one another for support while their stomachs threatened to rip from the amount of laughter that was coming from them. When the noise finally settled down, onyx met cobalt in a staring contest while the faces attached to them flushed with color over the closeness.

"Would it okay if we just closed this distance before I go crazy?" Natsu's voice purred, sending chills down a pale spine and without thinking Gray nodded.

You know those cliche actions and feelings that are often shown in movies or on television when two people kiss? Like sparks fly... heart starts pounding like a drum... sudden cravings of wanting more... pulling the other closer... and lastly the need to push the basic human needs by continuing to kiss until the warning signs raise that you need to breath! The raven was surprised that all of these emotions flooded his system when the rosette kissed him; how his hand instinctively reached out and rested behind Natsu's neck before gently pushing him closer. Their lips slowed in their movement before Gray took a chance; nibbling ever so gently on his companion's lower lip until the other gave a response - a breathless 'fine' - then the feelings from the beginning were revitalized. Warning signs became to pop up in their minds:

First, did either of them realize they were kissing someone they just met?

Second, was this only a one-time fling? Or could it be something more in the end?

Lastly, when were they planning on breathing again?!

As the last sign raised alarming question in their heads, they pulled away enough not to be lip-locked; breathing in the musty air between them did little to help the lack of oxygen in their lungs.

"Are you sure you're not a vampire or something?" Gray asked with a shaky breath, earning an equally shaky smirk as the rosette muttered: "Does this look like a scene from Twilight?"

"You got a point... then explain why I can't come to this room during the day?"

"Because they have important stuff to talk about,"

"They?"

"The people who run this ski resort,"

Feeling a little stupid, Gray continued with his question as he begun feeling less winded: "So why do you have a key to this room then?"

"My dad works here... and I _might_ have swiped it from him after they were done with this room," The emphasis on 'might' held enough playful quality to scream that Natsu had indeed stolen the card key from his father. After that round of questions the rosette asked his own to his companion, which all aimed at getting to know the other better - occasionally Gray would ask the same. Their conversation continued until the sun peeked over the horizon and Natsu stood up with a huge grin: "See~ Told you I wasn't a vampire,"

This grin didn't last long before Natsu seemed to grow sullen, which did not go unseen by the raven; immediately Gray was to his feet asking with the utmost care: "What's wrong?"

"I just realized... I'm so dead for being out all night," His shoulders sagged; thinking it was sarcasm, Gray joked: "You can't be in that much trouble,"

The look reflecting in those cobalt eyes said otherwise; "My _dad _isn't happy when I don't come back on time..."

"Can't you just lie and say you came back then woke up early?" The raven suggested to the shaken rosette, who licked his dry lips as he wondered if that would even work.

Surely his adopted father would believe that; after all, he is always tired after work - "Maybe... I better head back though," A solemn breath of words was all the raven got before he watched his companion dashed out the room.

Gray, remembering what the rosette had said about the room being used by the owners of the resort, headed out as well; walking back to the room he was sharing with his mom. The older raven was still sleeping when he slipped back inside and when he slipped under the covers on his own bed; his mind wandered over to Natsu and something raised a flag in his head. Staring at the wall, he carefully heard the warning sign out as it spoke of a bad feeling like never seeing the rosette again... Of something bad happening to Natsu... Should he go relieve the bad feeling in his chest by sneaking back out and hunting down his friend? Or should he just close his eyes and enjoy a little bit of sleep?

Sliding back out, Gray gave in - he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep and worse case scenario: it was just his imagination and his mother would find out about his late night. Running down the halls until he reached the front desk, the raven hoped that the person standing there to help early risers would give him the answer he was looking for.

"Can I help you?" The woman smiled over at the out-of-breath teenager before her.

"Ah... yes, I'm looking for someone... and I was wondering if you could possibly tell me his room number," A small part of him figured she wouldn't tell him but he still held onto hope she would.

"I'm sorry but I-"

"Please! It's very important! Maybe you could call the room and ask if he could meet me here?" The determination in his eyes must have made an impact on the young blonde behind the counter because the next thing he knew she asked politely, "What's your friend's name?"

"Natsu... he's the son of the janitor who works here," One of the things he learned about his rosette companion was that his father worked as the janitor who cleaned up the lodge.

"Oh you mean, Mr. Zeref's son?" A light gasp before she went to work in dialing the room number, waiting a few moment Gray listened to half the conversation, "Ah! Good morning, Mr. Zeref... Yes, I have a boy here who would like to speak with your son, is he avail- ...Oh, I see... I'm sorry to hear that... Yes, yes I'll tell him... Thank you,"

The raven waited as the blonde's eyes softened, "It seems Natsu got injured at the dance party the resort held last night,"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" He hadn't meant to yell but he couldn't believe his ears; he had just seen the Natsu almost an hour ago and he was not injured so that means: "He was fine when I saw him after the party! Please you have to tell me his room number!"

"Ah... room 34C," pointing to her right, "its just down that hall," Something in the manner of the teenager in front of her changed her mind of not breaking the company's rules.

The moment her words left her mouth, Gray was racing down the specified hall eyeing every door that came into his line of vision; slowing to a stop in front of a brown door with the gold plated number and letter reading '34C', he inhaled a deep breath before knocking hard on the door. He wasn't sure what to expect as the door opened moments later but it was not what he ended up seeing; Natsu opened the door slightly and it wasn't the sight of his friend that had the biggest impact but the black-eye and busted lip glaring back at him.

"G-Gray...?" Cobalt eyes seem to plead 'take me where ever you go' or maybe it was just what he wanted them to say; the raven grabbed the wrist that held open the door and with one hard yank, he ran away with the rosette in tow.

"He did that to you for being late, didn't he?" He didn't need an answer; the air between them seemed to explain it all: Natsu was being physically abused by his father.

The raven stormed over to the blonde, who was talking to a few older men in suits before noticing the raven teenager; "Call the police," his demanding words drew everyone's attention onto them. Chocolate-brown eyes glanced at both teens before taking the other teen's appearance into account; Gray didn't waste any time in explaining: "Look, call the cops or let my friend continued to be beaten for no good reason," in an angry hissed.

The woman immediately dialled the three necessary numbers before notifying the police of her reason for calling; she hung up the phone before asking the raven to take his friend to his lodge room and she will let him know when the police arrive. A smile spread across the pale features as he lead his companion, who still hadn't said a word since he opened the door, followed closely in pursuit. Gray opened the door, seeing his mother watching T.V. before glancing over asking with mild curiosity: "What's going on, Gray?"

"My friend here is going to stay here for a bit," He flashed a cheeky grin that clearly read that he was hiding something but his mother didn't push the issue and merely shrugged her shoulders.

Gray lead the silent rosette over to the door leading to the balcony, opening it with his other hand and gently pulling the other out; with his free hand still on the door he shut it and pulled Natsu tightly against his chest whispering: "I'm so sorry... if I hadn't made you stay out all night... this... this wouldn't have happened,"

A soft voice whispered back as arms wrapped around his lower torso: "Please don't blame yourself, Gray... this happens whenever he's stressed or I don't listen,"

"That's no reason to hurt someone," The raven's arms tensed up for a moment before relaxing enough to still have a protective hold on the one before him.

"So what's going to happen now?" Gray mentally noted that it was a good question; one he wished he had an answer for - an answer that was realistic but all that came out his mouth was: "I'm going to save you,"

Pulling his upper half away slightly, cobalt eyes hopefully stared into the onyx eyes before him asking in a worried voice: "Then what'll happen to us?" that received a head cock to the side from the raven.

Chuckling out silver clouds of warmth: "You can't honestly tell me that after_ last night_ we could be _friends_," Natsu's words forced color to flush onto pale cheeks as Gray stammered out, "O-Oh... umm..."

"How about this," his offer stopped the stutters coming from his companion, "no matter what happens, we'll meet again... and when we do: we can be together like we were last night?"

"I promise," Before any further words could be shared between the two, Gray's mom's spoke: "Gray... the door... it's for you and your friend,"

The duo re-entered the room to see two men dressed in uniform entering their lodge room; after what seemed like hours of interrogation and explaining of both their stories, including most of the details from their late night excursion (minus the kiss and newly-discovered feelings for the other), the officers motioned for them to follow. The teenage duo were lead down the hall towards the lobby then out the door to a patrol car before one officer explained: "We'll be taking Natsu Dragneel into child protective services until he either eighteen or is adopted,"

"Can't my mom do it?" The thought of having the person he loved close wasn't his reason for his words but the worry that the abuse might repeat.

Before the officers could speak, the raven heard: "No can do, Gray" from his mother who had followed them out.

"Why not?"

"Because adoption is very expensive," seeing the hurt look on her son's face she quickly added, "I would do it if I could afford it but I can't... sorry," and he knew his mother was.

Taking a step forward, Natsu glanced back with a grin the raven hadn't seen since last night before saying gently: "No matter how far apart we are, I'll come back to you... So no matter what keep smiling even when you're ready to give up hope of us ever seeing one another again... I promise to come back so you can keep your promise to me,"

**[ - ]**

Winter passed and summer came and Gray still heard no word about how Natsu was doing; the lack of knowledge was driving the poor raven insane with worry. He did his best to smile like he was asked to by the rosette beauty he had somehow fallen for in one night at a ski resort he had wanted to be at. Autumn was finally a hop, skip and a jump away now, school would be starting soon - Gray would be a senior, focusing on SAT's... college applications... and him. The raven had long since given up on trying not to think about the grinning rosette...

( - - - - )

**Csilla: Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter~ ouo**

**Question - would anyone like a sequel to this? Possibly showing their second meeting? OwO**

**Replies 'cause I'm uber lazy~**

* * *

**FairyTailFreak - Nope~ Gray just reeks of popularity *^* I hope your questions were answered :D**

**grayXnatsuFT - I hope I was able to make you understand better~**

**theabridgedkuriboh - I know right *-* I even made a video of them and this song**

**dreamscometrue410 - Thanks~**

**mosherocks4 - Kris, why? Do you want to see a vampire-Natsu? 'Cause I will make him an awesome vampire... later in another fic:3 &&&I LOVE YOU TOO! &thanks again for helping me bridge the gap between what I had and how I wanted to end this :)**

**darkhuntressxir - Fufufu~ I hope you enjoyed this part :D**

**Codaline - Originally I hadn't planned on making this split into two but I had problems linking the end with the beginning of this one ;w;**

**kunf'you'z-ed - Happy endings are my specialty~ ;) Though I do apologize if this ending wasn't all that happy :c**


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